Building construction



J. E. JENNINGS.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 19l6.

Patented June 1, 1920.

A tty am v m Q0 W W 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. E. JENNINGS.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2a. 1916.

Patented June 1, 1920.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2- lnv antor:

" Atty ous other structures.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN EDWARD JENNINGS, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AssIGN- MENTS, 'ro MILLIKEN BROTHERS MFG. 00., INC., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Application filed March 28, 1916.- Serial No. 87,153.

cludes the construction of roofs for various I structures, store houses, temporary dwellings and shelters, garages, hangars, work-shops, and other buildings, but their use is not limited to these and may be employed in vari- They are also primarily designed to be embodied in structures having relatively light metal parts.

The objects of the improvements are, among others, to provide a frame which may be manufactured in individual units at a shop or factory, Where materials and fabricating equipment are convenient, and assembled in structures of various form and size consisting substantially of multiples of said units, without material alteration or the employment of skilled labor or non-portable tools and machinery; to effect a saving in time and labor in connection therewith and reduce the cost and inconvenience of transportation; and also to so arrange the parts that the structure may be readily altered or enlarged or taken down and the parts reassembled in the same or a different form, if desired. There are also other objects and advantages which will appear to those skilled in the art.

By the use of the improvements a large stock of the necessary structural units or parts maybe made up, and these parts used as required for buildings of different sizes and for different purposes.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings referred to herein, in which Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of sections of buildings embodying the said improvements. 7

. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a half span of a roof truss and a supporting column embod ing the same.

Fig. 3 shows a construction In which the units are used on an earth base instead of a concrete base as in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the ventilating ridge construction of a roof.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a detached structural unit.

In carrying out the improvements a number of frames of identical form and construction are employed, and the frame of the building or other structure is formed of a plurality of these units placed together in various positions and connected by rivets, screw-bolts or other suitable fastenings. These units, in the embodiment of the in vention illustrated, consist of frames in the form of right-angled triangles with an auxiliary member extending from the right angle to the hypotenuse intermediate its ends, the joints of the triangle in each case being made by plates formed and positioned so as to connect the members of the triangula r frame and also serve to connect them withother units and structural elements.

The vertical member A of each triangular unit is connected with the bottom chord member B by means of the gusset-plate C and with the top chord or hypotenuse member D by means of the heel-plate E,-and the extremities of the two chords are connected by the toe-plate F, the said member and chords, in the present instance, being angle bars. In each instance the plates are provided with rivet holes to receive suitable fastening members passed through the angle bars near their extremities and through the plate. The stay G is secured to the plate C in similar manner and to the top chord angle D by having a rivet or other fastening passed through the two parts at their intersection.

The gusset-plate C extends below the bottom chord member B and is provided with rivet holes to receive the fastenings passing through the ends of the tie members H, so that each tie member connects two of the said plates. The toe of each triangular unit is secured to the heel of the abutting unit by means of an angle I riveted or otherwise secured to the depending portion of its toeplate and to one web of the adjacent vertical member, or, by means ofa common eaveplate J, to the toe of the post or column formed of another triangular unit placed in or upright position to form the said column or upri 'ht oi the structure.

At the ridge of the root the units are :1 erurin the or and supextension frame consisting 0: post ill, verti post it e ntl bounited {it their ex'rcmities on by the diagonal stay P upper ends of the two posts connected with. the plates r w 1 Y" tiyely. ihis supplemental l ioweiei, is not n eessery in ell. cases, i he Jot-- toni oi the vertically dispuseil unit n be 'n the earth If tlfi n2.

Ti iicn the posts ere set in concrete the post M with a clip S seemed to its lower end, and a heel; member miy e used fllf embedded in the concrete {,0 anchor the suit. post, but in this case also he base of the L! upright unit may be embeuoed.

The construction oi at full. root spun with supporting columns has now been de cribed.

As illustrated in Fig. 'l the reel russ may consist of two or more units, 9. the length of the spun dosh-en columns may be one or more un' and in the letter instr'u'u'ze o. luz'u vertically d sposed e il joined i form the base l a sine thereon the top of (tiltl column. serves to it inforce the units when used in e column against strains tondir' to L i r bulge them and such a stag; my lo mode it part oi"? each of the units it desired to 7,". additional strength and so that it will not be necessary to select particular units 10" use in this manner.

Assuming that the base chord ee-eh unit is twelve feet in length. and t verticei member tour and ehz'i-lt feet, so tn t the hypotenuse is approximately thirteen feet, the height of the columns will be m iltip tweli and the width oi. the spur of twenty-four feet. in the illu Fig. 1 are shown methods oi units to form l'tl feet in height and trusses (fOlDQOSGKl tour or six units or with walls twelve in height and the some units in the roof span. It is obvious, however. that various other combinations may be i is also apparent that the elements, int change, may be so combined its to i, froines 01': va ous other desired :ltoi'ms to met the The systun oi construrtion herein doseribed may be employed for sructure widely varying in tree and in "form, and when desired the frame-work thus florinec may be reinforced by suitable tie rods or the essed tliroug h holes ll punched in the and extending; from one irzune to t will also be uneerstood tlnit com o ted by secured to u them against c unios are adopted to be or other members oi? them and bracing inoreme it with respect to one another. suol'i port are not necessarily of peculiar struction end are commonly used in con llCBlOn with frames torn by other methods it will not be necess 1' to illusr to d scribe them f irth 1 method trute o i of applying root and well sheathing, however, hes been shown. This consists of the use of purlins V, runnii right angles to the ironies formed in J ili lTlP/l here'ofore described, and secured ch by moons ugle tics V, and i' Jerlep sheets of ,i, gated or other m tal 7 supi iortec'l These purlins mzry be of channel or other form or 1 wood, and serve iite the individuul multiple unit "frames lso to support the reel end sides of lins end ELlSO to the posts l. sin noting the e structure.

The ridge unit (see Fig. s ecured to the purlins V by means of the plates X riveted or otherwise secured to the sziid c: p Z by means oi? the r. the "aid posts and to the cup. the use 1 member the ridge in be revered,

' y be (dosed ii desired, Mi, it it is d e-- "4) pmi'ide for ventilation :it this point out uovessury to remove bolts couo pie to with the PUSH}; if and them up until the l't-olts can be p through the holes lmver down. its the applet e Z extends longitudinally of the ridge, in ordiiniry tZlSSS it will be necesszi y to :toree the said cup up at one or two or strnrtures than those shown in the uriiwiu z s, end it is one of the urez' t advantages of the multiple unit system (it the present improvements t st it is adaptable to various 1' see and various struct-i For instance while rods end ties oi? common term may be employed to connect frames constructed of the units, and e been referred to herein, the units thems s T be used for that purpose w. mango. and while the illustrated in the drawings is of plain and simple form, it may be supplemented by cupolas, bows, or other architectural embellishments, and these parts formed of the same structural units.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A building-structure including a plurality of aggrouped interchangeable structural units, each essentially comprising a long component to form a base-member, a relatively shorter component to form a sidemember, and a third component of greater length than either of the other two components to form a hypotenuse-member, these three components being joined to present a perimeter involvin only a single right angle and two acute angles, and member-attaching elements for holding said components permanently assembled and, also for connecting one unit withother units so that the hypotenuse-components of a series of uits are all alined to form a straight, continuous and unbroken roof-supporting surface.

2. A building-structure including a plurality of fabricated interchangeable structural units of identical form, each essentially comprising a long component to form a base-member, a relatively shorter component to form a side-member, and a third component of greater length than either of the other two components to form a hypotenuse-member, these three components being permanently joined together to form a perimeter composed of a single right angle and two acute angles, and member-attaching elements for connecting said components together and constituting permanent means on each unit for securing a series of units to each other so that the hypotenusecomponents of the series are all alined to form an approximately straight, continuous and unbroken roof-supporting surface,the baseanembers of the several units being all unalined, non-coincident, and in substantially parallel relation.

, 3. A building-structure including a'plurality of fabricated interchangeable structural units of identical form and dimensions, each essentially comprising a long component, a relatively shorter component, and a third component of a greater length than either of the two components and connected thereto to form a hypotenuse-member, these three components beingjoined to form a right-angled triangle having a perimeter consisting of a single right angle and two acute angles, and member-attaching elements disposed at each of said three angles to hold the components as a permanent assemblage and uniting a series of the units with only their respective acute angles joined and with the hypotenuse-members of the series of units all alined to form a continuous and unbroken supportin sun face, the base-members of the several units being all unalined and non-coincident but some disposed in substantially parallel relation to each other and some in substantially right angular relation to one another, and unit-tying members connected to a plurality of the units and substantially paralleling the hypotenuse-members thereof and forming with the adjacent long and short members a right-angled triangle.

l. A building structure including a series of fabricated structural triangular units of identical form, each complete in itself and adapted to beassembled as a roof-supporting series and capable, then, of being disassembled as individual, self-contained units; each of said units comprising a long component to form a base-member, a shorter component to form a side-member, and a component of greater length than the basemember to form a hypotenuse-member, the three components being joined to form a right angled triangle having a perimeter comprising a right angle and two acute angles; the series of joined units having their respective acute angles juxtaposed so that the hypotenuse-members aline with each other and form an approximately continuous and unbroken roof-supporting surface; in combination with unit-tying members secured to the right-angled portions of the respective units and, with the base and sidemembers of a unit, forming a second rightangled triangle, the components of which are all of relatively different length.

5. A building structure including a series of fabricated structural triangular units of identical form, each complete in itself and. adapted to be assembled. as a roof-supporting series and capable, then, of being disas scmbled as individual, self-contained units; each of said units comprising a long component to form a base-member, a shorter component to form a side-member, and a component of greater length than the base member to form a hy-potenuse-member, the three components being joined to form a right-angled triangle having a perimeter con'iprising a single right angle and two acute angles; the series of joined units having their respective acute angles juxtaposed so that the hypotenuse-members aline with each other and form an approximately continuous and unbroken roof-smaporting surface; in combination with unit-tying me1nbers secured to the right-angled portions of 1.20 the respective units and, with the base and side-members of a unit, forming a second right-angled triangle, the components of which are all of relatively different length; in combination with a supporting-column comprising a unit in form identical with the aforementioned roof-supporting units and having its hypotenuse-member arranged, at an angle to the h potenuse inem bars of said units and its lbng component disposed in substantial parallelism with the short components thereof and substantially at right angles to their long, base cont ponents.

6. A building structure including a series of fabricated structural triangular units identical term each complete in itself and adapted to be assembled as a root-supporting series and capable, then of being disassembled in .liv.idual, seltcontained units; each of said units comprising a lOl1ICOIH- ponent to form a base-member, a shorter component to form a side-member, and a component of greater length than the basemember to form a hypotenuse-ineinber, the three components being joined to term a right-angled triangle having a perimeter comprising a single right single and two acute angles; the series of joined units having their respective acute a g'l juxtaposed so that the hypotenuse-meinbers aline with each other and form an approximately continuous and unbroken root-supporting surface; in combination with unit-tying inenr bers secured to the 'Iflg'llt-ll ltjlliil portions of the respective units and, with the base and sideaneinbers of a unit, forming a second right-angled triangle the components of which are al of relatively dillercnt length; in combination with two of said units oined together as an apex to the root and having their respectia 'e short components disposed together in vertical parallelism.

7. ilk root-truss or similar metal structural frame, ii'icluding a series of substantially identical right angled triangular trainealnits connected together at adjacent corner so that the longer sides of eaeh are arranged in alineinent to support a sloping root-surface, the opposite angles of adjacent units being connected together by tieinenibers; in combination with supportingcolinnns joined to the lowermost at the units oil the roof-seriesv itness in hand this 2 th day of ltlarch, 1916 at t 1e city of New Yer in the county and State of New York.

JOHN EDlViil-tl 

